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Released in 1971

Love Is Strange

Written by Ethel Smith • Mickey Baker • Sylvia Vanderpool

Last updated on April 24, 2022

Album This song officially appears on the Wild Life LP.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1971

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interviews

“Love Is Strange” is the only song from 1971 Wings’ debut album, “Wild Life“, which was not written and credited to Paul & Linda McCartney. From Wikipedia:

“Love is Strange” was a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.

The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams. The song was written by Bo Diddley under the name of his wife at the time, Ethel Smith, and was recorded by Bo and Buddy Holly, among others. The guitar riff was also used by Dave “Baby” Cortez in his 1962 instrumental song “Rinky Dink“, also credited to Diddley. […]

We were in Scotland one summer, I was painting the roof and Linda’s got this reggae record, one of the Tighten Up records. We were just playing it and it was great music. We just loved it, so we started with a backing track.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles: Off The Record 2 – The Dream is Over: Dream Is Over Vol 2” by Keith Badman

It didn’t start out to be ‘Love Is Strange’. It started out as an instrumental and when we listened to it, that song came to mind.

Linda McCartney – Interview with Disc And Music Echo, November 1971

We got the band together and just started to play the reggae thing. We did the backing track and decided that ‘Love Is Strange’ would fit over it so we started singing over it and that’s how it ended up. Reggae is the newest and best beat around. There are more possibilities with reggae than anything at the moment.

Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles: Off The Record 2 – The Dream is Over: Dream Is Over Vol 2” by Keith Badman

From Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, by Chip Madinger & Mark Easter:

[this cover] was originally recorded (July 24th) as a reggae-styled instrumental known to the band as “Half Past Ten”. After the band listened to the track, they had the realization that the melody to “Love Is Strange” would dovetail perfectly with the backing. […]

So “popular” was the song that it was scheduled to be the UK single from Wild Life, backed with ‘I Am Your Singer’ as Apple R 5932 in January 1972. The single master was prepared at EMI on December 23rd, however, clearer heads prevailed over the holidays and the disc’s release was cancelled as it was not the best way to introduce Wings to the 45 RPM market.

Another version says that Paul himself objected to this idea; and instead pushed to release “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” as the first’s Wings single.

“Love Is Strange” single released in Mexico
From Paul McCartney on Twitter – Paul painting the roof in Scotland. Photo by Linda McCartney
From The Beatles: 18 Days of McCartney Day 15- Home in the Heart of the Country (thefabfourblog.blogspot.com)

Lyrics

Baby, love is strange

Many many people, take it for a game

My sweet baby, love is strange

Yeah Yeah

Many many people, take it for a game

Yeah yeah love is strange

Love is strange

Many many people, take it for a game

Yeah yeah love is strange

Love is strange

Many people, they don't understand

They think that having love is

Like having money in the hand

My sweet baby, love is strange

Many many people, seem to take it for a game

Let me hear you sing it

La la la la Love is strange

La la la la Love is strange

La la la la Love is strange

La la la la Love is strange

Variations

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

Live performances

“Love Is Strange” has been played in 1 concerts.

Latest concerts where “Love Is Strange” has been played

Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989

With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.

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